Born in the cellar of a Brighton pub back in 1994, Dark Star is a hobby that got out of control. In the early days, there was only one rule: explore. Over the decades this mantra served them well, with loyal hopheads propelling the brewery to cult classic status. But despite their underground following and inventive Brighton roots, over the years their brand remained jarringly safe and traditional. Now part of Asahi’s portfolio, Dark Star came to Thirst to align their visual brand identity with their name and reputation.

Knowing consumers are looking for creativity when trading up their pint, we wanted to create a whole new universe to encourage people to break free from the bland. Fuelled by hops and limitless imagination, we wanted the new brand to show Dark Star is truly out of this world beer.

By turbocharging the Dark Star icon and placing it proudly in the sky, it becomes a bold north star for adventurous drinkers. For each core beer’s artwork we went back to the brewery’s roots, partnering with Brighton-based graffiti duo Snub23 to create a whole new universe. Each beer-inspired planet comes to life with a surreal sci-fi scene, from harvesting humongous hops on Hophead to a zero gravity moon landing on American Pale Ale.

Through activation we dial up Dark Star’s hero black and red colour palette and delve deeper into its story to deliver a magnetic brand universe. With seasonals building the story and adding variety, every touchpoint shows Dark Star is a brand that escapes the orbit of ordinary.